Superior Spider-Man #31

We’re finally here. It’s the end of The Superior Spider-Man. Whether you’re happy about it or not, we all knew this was coming. When it comes to DC and Marvel, everything eventually reverts back to some form of the status quo. So, how did Slott and Gage do with the finale? Well, there’s some good and some bad.

The story is split into two parts. The first is Peter’s triumphant public return/epic showdown with Green Goblin. All of this should be very exciting, but it’s only moving to a point. Once the novelty of having Peter back begins to wear off, the horrendous dialogue comes back with a vengeance. It’s shocking that this first part was written by an adult. It reads like the fan fiction of a 6-year-old. What a mess.

To make matters worse, the big reveal of this current Green Goblin’s identity is ham-handed and evokes a collective groan. This is a very important character, so it’s impressive they messed this up so badly. This part of the story was very frustrating.

The second part of the story deals with the fallout and the entire thing is written very well. Peter is already trying to make amends with the people in his life Octavius has wronged. This is the juicy stuff that is going to make the entire Superior saga worth it. It’s fun and comforting to watch Peter clean up his dreary personal life. Now, his life is in a very different state. It’s going to be so much fun to watch this unfold further down the road.

Camuncoli handles the art of part one and the result is inconsistent. Some pages look fine, while others look sloppy. Many of the background characters appear to be hunchbacks, which can be jarring. To make matters worse, the coloring looks different in spots, like certain areas were touched up and some were not. Will Sliney’s work on part two at least looks a tad better. The characters come off as stiff and are displayed in some awkward facial expressions. This issue doesn’t have the worst art, but it leaves a lot to be desired.

Everybody has a different opinion about Superior Spider-Man. If nothing else, it got people talking and shook things up for a bit. Sometimes you need to do things like this to help you realize what makes a character so special in the first place…and Peter Parker is something truly special.

By day, Derek is a nursing student and caregiver to special needs clients. By night, he is a lifelong comic book fan with many hobbies. When he’s not scouring local hotspots for items to build his gaming and toy collections, he can be found lounging around his mountain of collectibles with his fiancé and cat reading through stacks of comics.
Twitter: @hookmoney